Air interface protocols for broadband access to aerial platforms
OwnerParviz Jalaliinventor
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Abstract
An air interface for a terrestrial communications network for providing broadband internet access to aerial platforms is described. In some embodiments, systems and methods are described for efficient retransmission of data packets that are not received correctly. In other embodiments, systems and methods are described for determining the modulation constellation and error correction code rate used in transmitting a data packet to maximize data rates. In another set of embodiments, the retransmission scheme and modulation constellation and error correction code rate determination are jointly optimized to maximize data rates.
Claims20
A system to provide broadband access to aerial platforms, the system comprising:
- a network of cell sites that each comprise at least one radio transceiver, each radio transceiver transmitting at least a reference signal;
- a plurality of aerial platforms that each comprise a radio transceiver, each radio transceiver measuring a signal quality metric of at least one reference signal:
- a set of Modulation Constellation and Code Rate (MCCR) indices, each MCCR signifying a modulation constellation and an error correction code rate;
- a forward link divided into frames, each frame further divided into a number of time slots, at least one data packet is transmitted in each frame, each data packet identified by a sequence number;
- each aerial platform radio transceiver determining an MCCR with a highest data rate from a set of MCCRs that achieve a packet error rate below a specified threshold given a signal quality metric value;
- each cell site radio transceiver encoding a data packet using the MCCR, and transmitting the data packet to an aerial platform radio transceiver;
- the aerial platform radio transceiver sending an acknowledgment message to a cell site radio transceiver if the data packet is decoded correctly;
- and
- the cell site radio transceiver retransmitting the data packet in each consecutive frame until an acknowledgement message is received for the data packet.
A method of providing communications between a cell site radio transceiver and an aerial platform radio transceiver, the method comprising:
- sending a reference signal;
- measuring a signal quality metric of the reference signal:
- determining an MCCR with a highest data rate from among all MCCRs that achieve a packet error rate below a specified threshold for a signal quality metric value;
- encoding a data packet using the MCCR, and transmitting the data packet;
- sending an acknowledgment message if the data packet is decoded correctly;
- and
- retransmitting the data packet if a negative acknowledgement message is received for the data packet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.